J k rowling HARRY POTTER 06 harry potter and the half bloo nce (v4 0)

Text copyright © 2005 by J K Rowling Illustrations by Mary Grandpré copyright © 2005 by Warner Bros HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J K Rowling All rights reserved Published by Arthur A Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920 SCHOLASTIC, THE LANTERN LOGO and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 Library of Congress Control Number: 2005921149 ISBN 0-439-78454-9 10 05 06 07 08 09 Printed in the U.S.A 23 First American edition, July 2005 Contents ONE - The Other Minister TWO - Spinner's End THREE - Will and Won't FOUR - Horace Slughorn FIVE - An Excess of Phlegm SIX - Draco's Detour SEVEN - The Slug Club EIGHT - Snape Victorious NINE - The Half-Blood Prince TEN - The House of Gaunt ELEVEN - Hermione's Helping Hand TWELVE - Silver and Opals THIRTEEN - The Secret Riddle FOURTEEN - Felix Felicis FIFTEEN - The Unbreakable Vow SIXTEEN - A Very Frosty Christmas SEVENTEEN - A Sluggish Memory EIGHTEEN - Birthday Surprises NINETEEN - Elf Tails TWENTY - Lord Voldemort's Request TWENTY-ONE - The Unknowable Room TWENTY-TWO - After the Burial TWENTY-THREE - Horcruxes TWENTY-FOUR - Sectumsempra TWENTY-FIVE - The Seer Overheard TWENTY-SIX - The Cave TWENTY-SEVEN - The Lightning Struck Tower TWENTY-EIGHT - Flight of the Prince TWENTY-NINE - The Phoenix Lament THIRTY - The White Tomb The Other Minister It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind He was waiting for a call from the President of a far distant country, and between wondering when the wretched man would telephone, and trying to suppress unpleasant memories of what had been a very long, tiring, and difficult week, there was not much space in his head for anything else The more he attempted to focus on the print on the page before him, the more clearly the Prime Minister could see the gloating face of one of his political opponents This particular opponent had appeared on the news that very day, not only to enumerate all the terrible things that had happened in the last week (as though anyone needed reminding) but also to explain why each and every one of them was the government’s fault The Prime Minister’s pulse quickened at the very thought of these accusations, for they were neither fair nor true How on earth was his government supposed to have stopped that bridge collapsing? It was outrageous for anybody to suggest that they were not spending enough on bridges The bridge was fewer than ten years old, and the best experts were at a loss to explain why it had snapped cleanly in two, sending a dozen cars into the watery depths of the river below And how dare anyone suggest that it was lack of policemen that had resulted in those two very nasty and well-publicized murders? Or that the government should have somehow foreseen the freak hurricane in the West Country that had caused so much damage to both people and property? And was it his fault that one of his Junior Ministers, Herbert Chorley, had chosen this week to act so peculiarly that he was now going to be spending a lot more time with his family? “A grim mood has gripped the country,” the opponent had concluded, barely concealing his own broad grin And unfortunately, this was perfectly true The Prime Minister felt it himself; people really did seem more miserable than usual Even the weather was dismal; all this chilly mist in the middle of July … It wasn’t right, it wasn’t normal … He turned over the second page of the memo, saw how much longer it went on, and gave it up as a bad job Stretching his arms above his head he looked around his office mournfully It was a handsome room, with a fine marble fireplace facing the long sash windows, firmly closed against the unseasonable chill With a slight shiver, the Prime Minister got up and moved over to the window, looking out at the thin mist that was pressing itself against the glass It was then, as he stood with his back to the room, that he heard a soft cough behind him He froze, nose to nose with his own scared-looking reflection in the dark glass He knew that cough He had heard it before He turned very slowly to face the empty room “Hello?” he said, trying to sound braver than he felt For a brief moment he allowed himself the impossible hope that nobody would answer him However, a voice responded at once, a crisp, decisive voice that sounded as though it were reading a prepared statement It was coming — as the Prime Minister had known at the first cough — from the froglike little man wearing a long silver wig who was depicted in a small, dirty oil painting in the far corner of the room “To the Prime Minister of Muggles Urgent we meet Kindly respond immediately Sincerely, Fudge.” The man in the painting looked inquiringly at the Prime Minister “Er,” said the Prime Minister, “listen … It’s not a very good time for me … I’m waiting for a telephone call, you see … from the President of —” “That can be rearranged,” said the portrait at once The Prime Minister’s heart sank He had been afraid of that “But I really was rather hoping to speak —” “We shall arrange for the President to forget to call He will telephone tomorrow night instead,” said the little man “Kindly re​spond immediately to Mr Fudge.” “I … oh … very well,” said the Prime Minister weakly “Yes, I’ll see Fudge.” He hurried back to his desk, straightening his tie as he went He had barely resumed his seat, and arranged his face into what he hoped was a relaxed and unfazed expression, when bright green flames burst into life in the empty grate beneath his marble mantelpiece He watched, trying not to betray a flicker of surprise or alarm, as a portly man appeared within the flames, spinning as fast as a top Seconds later, he had climbed out onto a rather fine antique rug, brushing ash from the sleeves of his long pin-striped cloak, a lime-green bowler hat in his hand “Ah … Prime Minister,” said Cornelius Fudge, striding forward with his hand outstretched “Good to see you again.” The Prime Minister could not honestly return this compliment, so said nothing at all He was not remotely pleased to see Fudge, whose occasional appearances, apart from being downright alarming in themselves, generally meant that he was about to hear some very bad news Furthermore, Fudge was looking distinctly careworn He was thinner, balder, and grayer, and his face had a crumpled look The Prime Minister had seen that kind of look in politicians before, and it never boded well “How can I help you?” he said, shaking Fudge’s hand very briefly and gesturing toward the hardest of the chairs in front of the desk “Difficult to know where to begin,” muttered Fudge, pulling up the chair, sitting down, and placing his green bowler upon his knees “What a week, what a week …” “Had a bad one too, have you?” asked the Prime Minister stiffly, hoping to convey by this that he had quite enough on his plate al​ready without any extra helpings from Fudge “Yes, of course,” said Fudge, rubbing his eyes wearily and looking morosely at the Prime Minister “I’ve been having the same week you have, Prime Minister The Brockdale Bridge … the Bones and Vance murders … not to mention the ruckus in the West Country …” “You — er — your — I mean to say, some of your people were — were involved in those — those things, were they?” Fudge fixed the Prime Minister with a rather stern look “Of course they were,” he said “Surely you’ve realized what’s going on?” “I …” hesitated the Prime Minister It was precisely this sort of behavior that made him dislike Fudge’s visits so much He was, after all, the Prime Minister and did not appreciate being made to feel like an ignorant schoolboy But of course, it had been like this from his very first meeting with Fudge on his very first evening as Prime Minister He remembered it as though it were yesterday and knew it would haunt him until his dying day He had been standing alone in this very office, savoring the triumph that was his after so many years of dreaming and scheming, when he had heard a cough behind him, just like tonight, and turned to find that ugly little portrait talking to him, announcing that the Minister of Magic was about to arrive and introduce himself Naturally, he had thought that the long campaign and the strain of the election had caused him to go mad He had been utterly terrified to find a portrait talking to him, though this had been nothing to how he felt when a self-proclaimed wizard had bounced out of the fireplace and shaken his hand He had remained speechless throughout Fudge’s kindly explanation that there were witches and wizards still living in secret all over the world and his reassurances that he was not to bother his head about them as the Ministry of Magic took responsibility for the whole Wizarding community and prevented the non-magical population from getting wind of them It was, said Fudge, a difficult job that encompassed everything from regulations on responsible use of broomsticks to keeping the dragon population under control (the Prime Minister remembered clutching the desk for support at this point) Fudge had then patted the shoulder of the still-dumbstruck Prime Minister in a fa​therly sort of way “Not to worry,” he had said, “it’s odds-on you’ll never see me again I’ll only bother you if there’s something really serious going on our end, something that’s likely to affect the Muggles — the nonmagical population, I should say Otherwise, it’s live and let live And I must say, you’re taking it a lot better than your predecessor He tried to throw me out the window, thought I was a hoax planned by the opposition.” At this, the Prime Minister had found his voice at last “You’re — you’re not a hoax, then?” It had been his last, desperate hope “No,” said Fudge gently “No, I’m afraid I’m not Look.” And he had turned the Prime Minister’s teacup into a gerbil “But,” said the Prime Minister breathlessly, watching his teacup chewing on the corner of his next speech, “but why — why has no​body told me — ?” “The Minister of Magic only reveals him- or herself to the Muggle Prime Minister of the day,” said Fudge, poking his wand back inside his jacket “We find it the best way to maintain secrecy.” “But then,” bleated the Prime Minister, “why hasn’t a former Prime Minister warned me — ?” At this, Fudge had actually laughed “My dear Prime Minister, are you ever going to tell anybody?” Still chortling, Fudge had thrown some powder into the fireplace, stepped into the emerald flames, and vanished with a whooshing sound The Prime Minister had stood there, quite motionless, and realized that he would never, as long as he lived, dare mention this encounter to a living soul, for who in the wide world would believe him? The shock had taken a little while to wear off For a time, he had tried to convince himself that Fudge had indeed been a hallucination brought on by lack of sleep during his grueling election campaign In a vain attempt to rid himself of all reminders of this uncomfortable encounter, he had given the gerbil to his delighted niece and instructed his private secretary to take down the portrait of the ugly little man who had announced Fudge’s arrival To the Prime Minister’s dismay, however, the portrait had proved impossible to remove When several carpenters, a builder or two, an art historian, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer had all tried unsuccessfully to prise it from the wall, the Prime Minister had abandoned the attempt and simply resolved to hope that the thing remained motionless and silent for the rest of his term in office Occasionally he could have sworn he saw out of the corner of his eye the occupant of the painting yawning, or else scratching his nose; even, once or twice, simply walking out of his frame and leaving nothing but a stretch of muddy-brown canvas behind However, he had trained himself not to look at the picture very much, and always to tell himself firmly that his eyes were playing tricks on him when anything like this happened Then, three years ago, on a night very like tonight, the Prime Minister had been alone in his office when the portrait had once again announced the imminent arrival of Fudge, who had burst out of the fireplace, sopping wet and in a state of considerable panic Before the Prime Minister could ask why he was dripping all over the Axminster, Fudge had started ranting about a prison the Prime Minister had never heard of, a man named “Serious” Black, something that sounded like “Hogwarts,” and a boy called Harry Potter, none of which made the remotest sense to the Prime Minister “… I’ve just come from Azkaban,” Fudge had panted, tipping a large amount of water out of the rim of his bowler hat into his pocket “Middle of the North Sea, you know, nasty flight … the dementors are in uproar” — he shuddered — “they’ve never had a breakout before Anyway, I had to come to you, Prime Minister Black’s a known Muggle killer and may be planning to rejoin You-Know-Who … But of course, you don’t even know who You-Know-Who is!” He had gazed hopelessly at the Prime Minister for a moment, then said, “Well, sit down, sit down, I’d better fill you in … Have a whiskey …” The Prime Minister rather resented being told to sit down in his own office, let alone offered his own whiskey, but he sat nevertheless Fudge pulled out his wand, conjured two large glasses full of amber liquid out of thin air, pushed one of them into the Prime Minister’s hand, and drew up a chair Fudge had talked for more than an hour At one point, he had refused to say a certain name aloud and wrote it instead on a piece of parchment, which he had thrust into the Prime Minister’s whiskeyfree hand When at last Fudge had stood up to leave, the Prime Minister had stood up too “So you think that …” He had squinted down at the name in his left hand “Lord Vol —” “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!” snarled Fudge “I’m sorry … You think that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is still alive, then?” “Well, Dumbledore says he is,” said Fudge, as he had fastened his pin-striped cloak under his chin, “but we’ve never found him If you ask me, he’s not dangerous unless he’s got support, so it’s Black we ought to be worrying about You’ll put out that warning, then? Excellent Well, I hope we don’t see each other again, Prime Minister! Good night.” But they had seen each other again Less than a year later a harassed-looking Fudge had appeared out of thin air in the cabinet room to inform the Prime Minister that there had been a spot of bother at the Kwidditch (or that was what it had sounded like) World Cup and that several Muggles had been “involved,” but that the Prime Minister was not to worry, the fact that You-Know-Who’s Mark had been seen again meant nothing; Fudge was sure it was an isolated incident, and the Muggle Liaison Office was deal​ing with all memory modifications as they spoke “Oh, and I almost forgot,” Fudge had added “We’re importing three foreign dragons and a sphinx for the Triwizard Tournament, quite routine, but the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures tells me that it’s down in the rule book that we have to notify you if we’re bringing highly dangerous creatures into the country.” “I — what — dragons?” spluttered the Prime Minister “Yes, three,” said Fudge “And a sphinx Well, good day to you.” The Prime Minister had hoped beyond hope that dragons and sphinxes would be the worst of it, but no Less than two years later, Fudge had erupted out of the fire yet again, this time with the news that there had been a mass breakout from Azkaban “A mass breakout?” repeated the Prime Minister hoarsely “No need to worry, no need to worry!” shouted Fudge, already with one foot in the flames “We’ll have them rounded up in no time — just thought you ought to know!” And before the Prime Minister could shout, “Now, wait just one moment!” Fudge had vanished in a shower of green sparks Whatever the press and the opposition might say, the Prime Minister was not a foolish man It had not escaped his notice that, despite Fudge’s assurances at their first meeting, they were now seeing rather a lot of each other, nor that Fudge was becoming more flustered with each visit Little though he liked to think about the Minister of Magic (or, as he always called Fudge in his head, the Other Minister), the Prime Minister could not help but fear that the next time Fudge appeared it would be with graver news still The sight, therefore, of Fudge stepping out of the fire once more, looking disheveled and fretful and sternly surprised that the Prime Minister did not know exactly why he was there, was about the worst thing that had happened in the course of this extremely gloomy week “How should I know what’s going on in the — er — Wizarding community?” snapped the Prime Minister now “I have a country to run and quite enough concerns at the moment without —” “We have the same concerns,” Fudge interrupted “The Brockdale Bridge didn’t wear out That wasn’t really a hurricane Those murders were not the work of Muggles And Herbert Chorley’s family would be safer without him We are currently making arrangements to have him transferred to St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries The move should be effected tonight.” “What you … I’m afraid I … What?” blustered the Prime Minister Fudge took a great, deep breath and said, “Prime Minister, I am very sorry to have to tell you that he’s back He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back.” “Back? When you say ‘back’ … he’s alive? I mean —” The Prime Minister groped in his memory for the details of that horrible conversation of three years previously, when Fudge had told him about the wizard who was feared above all others, the wizard who had committed a thousand terrible crimes before his mysterious disappearance fifteen years earlier “Yes, alive,” said Fudge “That is — I don’t know — is a man alive if he can’t be killed? I don’t really understand it, and Dumble​dore won’t explain properly — but anyway, he’s certainly got a body and is walking and talking and killing, so I suppose, for the purposes of our discussion, yes, he’s alive.” The Prime Minister did not know what to say to this, but a persistent habit of wishing to appear well-informed on any subject that came up made him cast around for any details he could remember of their previous conversations “Is Serious Black with — er — He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?” “Black? Black?” said Fudge distractedly, turning his bowler rapidly in his fingers “Sirius Black, Luna and I were there at all, he just burst his way into Snape’s office and we heard him saying that Snape had to go back with him and help and then we heard a loud thump and Snape came hurtling out of his room and he saw us and — and —” “What?” Harry urged her “I was so stupid, Harry!” said Hermione in a high-pitched whisper “He said Professor Flitwick had collapsed and that we should go and take care of him while he — while he went to help fight the Death Eaters —” She covered her face in shame and continued to talk into her fingers, so that her voice was muffled “We went into his office to see if we could help Professor Flitwick and found him unconscious on the floor … and oh, it’s so obvious now, Snape must have Stupefied Flitwick, but we didn’t realize, Harry, we didn’t realize, we just let Snape go!” “It’s not your fault,” said Lupin firmly “Hermione, had you not obeyed Snape and got out of the way, he probably would have killed you and Luna.” “So then he came upstairs,” said Harry, who was watching Snape running up the marble staircase in his mind’s eye, his black robes billowing behind him as ever, pulling his wand from under his cloak as he ascended, “and he found the place where you were all fighting …” “We were in trouble, we were losing,” said Tonks in a low voice “Gibbon was down, but the rest of the Death Eaters seemed ready to fight to the death Neville had been hurt, Bill had been savaged by Greyback … It was all dark … curses flying everywhere … The Malfoy boy had vanished, he must have slipped past, up the stairs … then more of them ran after him, but one of them blocked the stair behind them with some kind of curse … Neville ran at it and got thrown up into the air —” “None of us could break through,” said Ron, “and that massive Death Eater was still firing off jinxes all over the place, they were bouncing off the walls and barely missing us …” “And then Snape was there,” said Tonks, “and then he wasn’t —” “I saw him running toward us, but that huge Death Eater’s jinx just missed me right afterward and I ducked and lost track of things,” said Ginny “I saw him run straight through the cursed barrier as though it wasn’t there,” said Lupin “I tried to follow him, but was thrown back just like Neville …” “He must have known a spell we didn’t,” whispered McGonagall “After all — he was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher … I just assumed that he was in a hurry to chase after the Death Eaters who’d escaped up to the tower …” “He was,” said Harry savagely, “but to help them, not to stop them … and I’ll bet you had to have a Dark Mark to get through that barrier — so what happened when he came back down?” “Well, the big Death Eater had just fired off a hex that caused half the ceiling to fall in, and also broke the curse blocking the stairs,” said Lupin “We all ran forward — those of us who were still standing anyway — and then Snape and the boy emerged out of the dust — obviously, none of us attacked them —” “We just let them pass,” said Tonks in a hollow voice “We thought they were being chased by the Death Eaters — and next thing, the other Death Eaters and Greyback were back and we were fighting again — I thought I heard Snape shout something, but I don’t know what —” “He shouted, ‘It’s over,’ ” said Harry “He’d done what he’d meant to do.” They all fell silent Fawkes’s lament was still echoing over the dark grounds outside As the music reverberated upon the air, unbidden, unwelcome thoughts slunk into Harry’s mind … Had they taken Dumbledore’s body from the foot of the tower yet? What would happen to it next? Where would it rest? He clenched his fists tightly in his pockets He could feel the small cold lump of the fake Horcrux against the knuckles of his right hand The doors of the hospital wing burst open, making them all jump: Mr and Mrs Weasley were striding up the ward, Fleur just behind them, her beautiful face terrified “Molly — Arthur —” said Professor McGonagall, jumping up and hurrying to greet them “I am so sorry —” “Bill,” whispered Mrs Weasley, darting past Professor McGonagall as she caught sight of Bill’s mangled face “Oh, Bill!” Lupin and Tonks had got up hastily and retreated so that Mr and Mrs Weasley could get nearer to the bed Mrs Weasley bent over her son and pressed her lips to his bloody forehead “You said Greyback attacked him?” Mr Weasley asked Professor McGonagall distractedly “But he hadn’t transformed? So what does that mean? What will happen to Bill?” “We don’t yet know,” said Professor McGonagall, looking help​lessly at Lupin “There will probably be some contamination, Arthur,” said Lupin “It is an odd case, possibly unique … We don’t know what his behavior might be like when he awakens …” Mrs Weasley took the nasty-smelling ointment from Madam Pomfrey and began dabbing at Bill’s wounds “And Dumbledore …” said Mr Weasley “Minerva, is it true … Is he really … ?” As Professor McGonagall nodded, Harry felt Ginny move beside him and looked at her Her slightly narrowed eyes were fixed upon Fleur, who was gazing down at Bill with a frozen expression on her face “Dumbledore gone,” whispered Mr Weasley, but Mrs Weasley had eyes only for her eldest son; she began to sob, tears falling onto Bill’s mutilated face “Of course, it doesn’t matter how he looks … It’s not r-really important … but he was a very handsome little b-boy … always very handsome … and he was g-going to be married!” “And what you mean by zat?” said Fleur suddenly and loudly “What you mean, ‘’e was going to be married?’ ” Mrs Weasley raised her tear-stained face, looking startled “Well — only that —” “You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore?” demanded Fleur “You theenk, because of these bites, he will not love me?” “No, that’s not what I —” “Because ’e will!” said Fleur, drawing herself up to her full height and throwing back her long mane of silver hair “It would take more zan a werewolf to stop Bill loving me!” “Well, yes, I’m sure,” said Mrs Weasley, “but I thought per​haps — given how — how he —” “You thought I would not weesh to marry him? Or per’aps, you hoped?” said Fleur, her nostrils flaring “What I care how he looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave! And I shall zat!” she added fiercely, pushing Mrs Weasley aside and snatching the oint​ment from her Mrs Weasley fell back against her husband and watched Fleur mopping up Bill’s wounds with a most curious expression upon her face Nobody said anything; Harry did not dare move Like every​body else, he was waiting for the explosion “Our Great-Auntie Muriel,” said Mrs Weasley after a long pause, “has a very beautiful tiara — goblin-made — which I am sure I could persuade her to lend you for the wedding She is very fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair.” “Thank you,” said Fleur stiffly “I am sure zat will be lovely.” And then, Harry did not quite see how it happened, both women were crying and hugging each other Completely bewildered, wondering whether the world had gone mad, he turned around: Ron looked as stunned as he felt and Ginny and Hermione were exchanging startled looks “You see!” said a strained voice Tonks was glaring at Lupin “She still wants to marry him, even though he’s been bitten! She doesn’t care!” “It’s different,” said Lupin, barely moving his lips and looking suddenly tense “Bill will not be a full werewolf The cases are com​pletely —” “But I don’t care either, I don’t care!” said Tonks, seizing the front of Lupin’s robes and shaking them “I’ve told you a million times …” And the meaning of Tonks’s Patronus and her mouse-colored hair, and the reason she had come running to find Dumbledore when she had heard a rumor someone had been attacked by Greyback, all suddenly became clear to Harry; it had not been Sirius that Tonks had fallen in love with after all “And I’ve told you a million times,” said Lupin, refusing to meet her eyes, staring at the floor, “that I am too old for you, too poor … too dangerous …” “I’ve said all along you’re taking a ridiculous line on this, Re​mus,” said Mrs Weasley over Fleur’s shoulder as she patted her on the back “I am not being ridiculous,” said Lupin steadily “Tonks deserves somebody young and whole.” “But she wants you,” said Mr Weasley, with a small smile “And after all, Remus, young and whole men not necessarily remain so.” He gestured sadly at his son, lying between them “This is … not the moment to discuss it,” said Lupin, avoiding everybody’s eyes as he looked around distractedly “Dumbledore is dead …” “Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world,” said Professor McGonagall curtly, just as the hospital doors opened again and Hagrid walked in The little of his face that was not obscured by hair or beard was soaking and swollen; he was shaking with tears, a vast, spotted handkerchief in his hand “I’ve … I’ve done it, Professor,” he choked “M-moved him Professor Sprout’s got the kids back in bed Professor Flitwick’s lyin’ down, but he says he’ll be all righ’ in a jiffy, an’ Professor Slughorn says the Ministry’s bin informed.” “Thank you, Hagrid,” said Professor McGonagall, standing up at once and turning to look at the group around Bill’s bed “I shall have to see the Ministry when they get here Hagrid, please tell the Heads of Houses — Slughorn can represent Slytherin — that I want to see them in my office forthwith I would like you to join us too.” As Hagrid nodded, turned, and shuffled out of the room again, she looked down at Harry “Before I meet them I would like a quick word with you, Harry If you’ll come with me …” Harry stood up, murmured “See you in a bit” to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, and followed Professor McGonagall back down the ward The corridors outside were deserted and the only sound was the distant phoenix song It was several minutes before Harry became aware that they were not heading for Professor McGonagall’s office, but for Dumbledore’s, and another few seconds before he realized that of course, she had been deputy headmistress … Apparently she was now headmistress … so the room behind the gargoyle was now hers In silence they ascended the moving spiral staircase and entered the circular office He did not know what he had expected: that the room would be draped in black, perhaps, or even that Dumbledore’s body might be lying there In fact, it looked almost exactly as it had done when he and Dumbledore had left it mere hours previously: the silver instruments whirring and puffing on their spindle-legged tables, Gryffindor’s sword in its glass case gleaming in the moonlight, the Sorting Hat on a shelf behind the desk But Fawkes’s perch stood empty, he was still crying his lament to the grounds And a new portrait had joined the ranks of the dead headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts: Dumbledore was slumbering in a golden frame over the desk, his half-moon spectacles perched upon his crooked nose, looking peaceful and untroubled After glancing once at this portrait, Professor McGonagall made an odd movement as though steeling herself, then rounded the desk to look at Harry, her face taut and lined “Harry,” she said, “I would like to know what you and Professor Dumbledore were doing this evening when you left the school.” “I can’t tell you that, Professor,” said Harry He had expected the question and had his answer ready It had been here, in this very room, that Dumbledore had told him that he was to confide the contents of their lessons to nobody but Ron and Hermione “Harry, it might be important,” said Professor McGonagall “It is,” said Harry, “very, but he didn’t want me to tell anyone.” Professor McGonagall glared at him “Potter” — Harry registered the renewed use of his surname — “in the light of Professor Dumbledore’s death, I think you must see that the situation has changed somewhat —” “I don’t think so,” said Harry, shrugging “Professor Dumbledore never told me to stop following his orders if he died.” “But —” “There’s one thing you should know before the Ministry gets here, though Madam Rosmerta’s under the Imperius Curse, she was helping Malfoy and the Death Eaters, that’s how the necklace and the poisoned mead —” “Rosmerta?” said Professor McGonagall incredulously, but before she could go on, there was a knock on the door behind them and Professors Sprout, Flitwick, and Slughorn traipsed into the room, followed by Hagrid, who was still weeping copiously, his huge frame trembling with grief “Snape!” ejaculated Slughorn, who looked the most shaken, pale and sweating “Snape! I taught him! I thought I knew him!” But before any of them could respond to this, a sharp voice spoke from high on the wall: A sallowfaced wizard with a short black fringe had just walked back into his empty canvas “Minerva, the Minister will be here within seconds, he has just Disapparated from the Ministry.” “Thank you, Everard,” said Professor McGonagall, and she turned quickly to her teachers “I want to talk about what happens to Hogwarts before he gets here,” she said quickly “Personally, I am not convinced that the school should reopen next year The death of the headmaster at the hands of one of our colleagues is a terrible stain upon Hogwarts’s history It is horrible.” “I am sure Dumbledore would have wanted the school to remain open,” said Professor Sprout “I feel that if a single pupil wants to come, then the school ought to remain open for that pupil.” “But will we have a single pupil after this?” said Slughorn, now dabbing his sweating brow with a silken handkerchief “Parents will want to keep their children at home and I can’t say I blame them Personally, I don’t think we’re in more danger at Hogwarts than we are anywhere else, but you can’t expect mothers to think like that They’ll want to keep their families together, it’s only natural.” “I agree,” said Professor McGonagall “And in any case, it is not true to say that Dumbledore never envisaged a situation in which Hogwarts might close When the Chamber of Secrets reopened he considered the closure of the school — and I must say that Professor Dumbledore’s murder is more disturbing to me than the idea of Slytherin’s monster living undetected in the bowels of the castle …” “We must consult the governors,” said Professor Flitwick in his squeaky little voice; he had a large bruise on his forehead but seemed otherwise unscathed by his collapse in Snape’s office “We must follow the established procedures A decision should not be made hastily.” “Hagrid, you haven’t said anything,” said Professor McGonagall “What are your views, ought Hogwarts to remain open?” Hagrid, who had been weeping silently into his large, spotted handkerchief throughout this conversation, now raised puffy red eyes and croaked, “I dunno, Professor … that’s fer the Heads of House an’ the headmistress ter decide …” “Professor Dumbledore always valued your views,” said Profes​sor McGonagall kindly, “and so I.” “Well, I’m stayin’,” said Hagrid, fat tears still leaking out of the corners of his eyes and trickling down into his tangled beard “It’s me home, it’s bin me home since I was thirteen An’ if there’s kids who wan’ me ter teach ’em, I’ll it But … I dunno … Hogwarts without Dumbledore …” He gulped and disappeared behind his handkerchief once more, and there was silence “Very well,” said Professor McGonagall, glancing out of the window at the grounds, checking to see whether the Minister was yet approaching, “then I must agree with Filius that the right thing to is to consult the governors, who will make the final decision “Now, as to getting students home … there is an argument for doing it sooner rather than later We could arrange for the Hog​warts Express to come tomorrow if necessary —” “What about Dumbledore’s funeral?” said Harry, speaking at last “Well …” said Professor McGonagall, losing a little of her briskness as her voice shook “I — I know that it was Dumble​dore’s wish to be laid to rest here, at Hogwarts —” “Then that’s what’ll happen, isn’t it?” said Harry fiercely “If the Ministry thinks it appropriate,” said Professor McGonagall “No other headmaster or headmistress has ever been —” “No other headmaster or headmistress ever gave more to this school,” growled Hagrid “Hogwarts should be Dumbledore’s final resting place,” said Professor Flitwick “Absolutely,” said Professor Sprout “And in that case,” said Harry, “you shouldn’t send the students home until the funeral’s over They’ll want to say —” The last word caught in his throat, but Professor Sprout com​pleted the sentence for him “Good-bye.” “Well said,” squeaked Professor Flitwick “Well said indeed! Our students should pay tribute, it is fitting We can arrange transport home afterward.” “Seconded,” barked Professor Sprout “I suppose … yes …” said Slughorn in a rather agitated voice, while Hagrid let out a strangled sob of assent “He’s coming,” said Professor McGonagall suddenly, gazing down into the grounds “The Minister … and by the looks of it, he’s brought a delegation …” “Can I leave, Professor?” said Harry at once He had no desire at all to see, or be interrogated by, Rufus Scrimgeour tonight “You may,” said Professor McGonagall “And quickly.” She strode toward the door and held it open for him He sped down the spiral staircase and off along the deserted corridor; he had left his Invisibility Cloak at the top of the Astronomy Tower, but it did not matter; there was nobody in the corridors to see him pass, not even Filch, Mrs Norris, or Peeves He did not meet another soul until he turned into the passage leading to the Gryffindor common room “Is it true?” whispered the Fat Lady as he approached her “It is really true? Dumbledore — dead?” “Yes,” said Harry She let out a wail and, without waiting for the password, swung forward to admit him As Harry had suspected it would be, the common room was jam-packed The room fell silent as he climbed through the portrait hole He saw Dean and Seamus sitting in a group nearby: This meant that the dormitory must be empty, or nearly so Without speaking to anybody, without making eye contact at all, Harry walked straight across the room and through the door to the boys’ dormitories As he had hoped, Ron was waiting for him, still fully dressed, sitting on his bed Harry sat down on his own four-poster and for a moment, they simply stared at each other “They’re talking about closing the school,” said Harry “Lupin said they would,” said Ron There was a pause “So?” said Ron in a very low voice, as though he thought the furniture might be listening in “Did you find one? Did you get it? A — a Horcrux?” Harry shook his head All that had taken place around that black lake seemed like an old nightmare now; had it really happened, and only hours ago? “You didn’t get it?” said Ron, looking crestfallen “It wasn’t there?” “No,” said Harry “Someone had already taken it and left a fake in its place.” “Already taken — ?” Wordlessly, Harry pulled the fake locket from his pocket, opened it, and passed it to Ron The full story could wait … It did not matter tonight … nothing mattered except the end, the end of their pointless adventure, the end of Dumbledore’s life … “R.A.B.,” whispered Ron, “but who was that?” “Dunno,” said Harry, lying back on his bed fully clothed and staring blankly upwards He felt no curiosity at all about R.A.B.: He doubted that he would ever feel curious again As he lay there, he became aware suddenly that the grounds were silent Fawkes had stopped singing And he knew, without knowing how he knew it, that the phoenix had gone, had left Hogwarts for good, just as Dumbledore had left the school, had left the world … had left Harry The White Tomb All lessons were suspended, all examinations postponed Some students were hurried away from Hogwarts by their parents over the next couple of days — the Patil twins were gone before breakfast on the morning following Dumbledore’s death, and Zacharias Smith was escorted from the castle by his haughty-looking father Seamus Finnigan, on the other hand, refused point-blank to accompany his mother home; they had a shouting match in the entrance hall that was resolved when she agreed that he could remain behind for the funeral She had difficulty in finding a bed in Hogsmeade, Seamus told Harry and Ron, for wizards and witches were pouring into the village, preparing to pay their last respects to Dumbledore Some excitement was caused among the younger students, who had never seen it before, when a powder-blue carriage the size of a house, pulled by a dozen giant winged palominos, came soaring out of the sky in the late afternoon before the funeral and landed on the edge of the forest Harry watched from a window as a gigantic and handsome olive-skinned, black-haired woman descended the carriage steps and threw herself into the waiting Hagrid’s arms Meanwhile a delegation of Ministry officials, including the Minister of Magic himself, was being accommodated within the castle Harry was diligently avoiding contact with any of them; he was sure that, sooner or later, he would be asked again to account for Dumbledore’s last excursion from Hogwarts Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were spending all of their time together The beautiful weather seemed to mock them; Harry could imagine how it would have been if Dumbledore had not died, and they had had this time together at the very end of the year, Ginny’s examinations finished, the pressure of homework lifted … and hour by hour, he put off saying the thing that he knew he must say, doing what he knew was right to do, because it was too hard to forgo his best source of comfort They visited the hospital wing twice a day: Neville had been discharged, but Bill remained under Madam Pomfrey’s care His scars were as bad as ever — in truth, he now bore a distinct resemblance to Mad-Eye Moody, though thankfully with both eyes and legs — but in personality he seemed just the same as ever All that appeared to have changed was that he now had a great liking for very rare steaks “… so eet ees lucky ’e is marrying me,” said Fleur happily, plumping up Bill’s pillows, “because ze British overcook their meat, I ’ave always said this.” “I suppose I’m just going to have to accept that he really is going to marry her,” sighed Ginny later that evening, as she, Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat beside the open window of the Gryffindor com​mon room, looking out over the twilit grounds “She’s not that bad,” said Harry “Ugly, though,” he added hastily, as Ginny raised her eyebrows, and she let out a reluctant giggle “Well, I suppose if Mum can stand it, I can.” “Anyone else we know died?” Ron asked Hermione, who was pe​rusing the Evening Prophet Hermione winced at the forced toughness in his voice “No,” she said reprovingly, folding up the newspaper “They’re still look​ing for Snape but no sign …” “Of course there isn’t,” said Harry, who became angry every time this subject cropped up “They won’t find Snape till they find Voldemort, and seeing as they’ve never managed to that in all this time …” “I’m going to go to bed,” yawned Ginny “I haven’t been sleeping that well since … well … I could with some sleep.” She kissed Harry (Ron looked away pointedly), waved at the other two, and departed for the girls’ dormitories The moment the door had closed behind her, Hermione leaned forward toward Harry with a most Hermione-ish look on her face “Harry, I found something out this morning, in the library.” “R.A.B.?” said Harry, sitting up straight He did not feel the way he had so often felt before, excited, curious, burning to get to the bottom of a mystery; he simply knew that the task of discovering the truth about the real Horcrux had to be completed before he could move a little farther along the dark and winding path stretching ahead of him, the path that he and Dumbledore had set out upon together, and which he now knew he would have to journey alone There might still be as many as four Horcruxes out there somewhere, and each would need to be found and eliminated before there was even a possibility that Voldemort could be killed He kept reciting their names to himself, as though by listing them he could bring them within reach: the locket … the cup … the snake … something of Gryffindor’s or Ravenclaw’s … the locket … the cup … the snake … something of Gryffindor’s or Ravenclaw’s … This mantra seemed to pulse through Harry’s mind as he fell asleep at night, and his dreams were thick with cups, lockets, and mysterious objects that he could not quite reach, though Dumbledore helpfully offered Harry a rope ladder that turned to snakes the moment he began to climb … He had shown Hermione the note inside the locket the morning after Dumbledore’s death, and although she had not immediately recognized the initials as belonging to some obscure wizard about whom she had been reading, she had since been rushing off to the library a little more often than was strictly necessary for somebody who had no homework to “No,” she said sadly, “I’ve been trying, Harry, but I haven’t found anything … There are a couple of reasonably well-known wizards with those initials — Rosalind Antigone Bungs … Rupert ‘Axebanger’ Brookstanton … but they don’t seem to fit at all Judging by that note, the person who stole the Horcrux knew Voldemort, and I can’t find a shred of evidence that Bungs or Axebanger ever had anything to with him … No, actually, it’s about … well, Snape.” She looked nervous even saying the name again “What about him?” asked Harry heavily, slumping back in his chair “Well, it’s just that I was sort of right about the Half-Blood Prince business,” she said tentatively “D’you have to rub it in, Hermione? How d’you think I feel about that now?” “No — no — Harry, I didn’t mean that!” she said hastily, looking around to check that they were not being overheard “It’s just that I was right about Eileen Prince once owning the book You see … she was Snape’s mother!” “I thought she wasn’t much of a looker,” said Ron Hermione ig​nored him “I was going through the rest of the old Prophets and there was a tiny announcement about Eileen Prince marrying a man called Tobias Snape, and then later an announcement saying that she’d given birth to a —” “— murderer,” spat Harry “Well … yes,” said Hermione “So … I was sort of right Snape must have been proud of being ‘half a Prince,’ you see? Tobias Snape was a Muggle from what it said in the Prophet.” “Yeah, that fits,” said Harry “He’d play up the pure-blood side so he could get in with Lucius Malfoy and the rest of them … He’s just like Voldemort Pure-blood mother, Muggle father … ashamed of his parentage, trying to make himself feared using the Dark Arts, gave himself an impressive new name — Lord Voldemort — the Half-Blood Prince — how could Dumbledore have missed — ?” He broke off, looking out the window He could not stop himself dwelling upon Dumbledore’s inexcusable trust in Snape … but as Hermione had just inadvertently reminded him, he, Harry, had been taken in just the same … In spite of the increasing nastiness of those scribbled spells, he had refused to believe ill of the boy who had been so clever, who had helped him so much … Helped him … it was an almost unendurable thought now “I still don’t get why he didn’t turn you in for using that book,” said Ron “He must’ve known where you were getting it all from.” “He knew,” said Harry bitterly “He knew when I used Sectumsempra He didn’t really need Legilimency … He might even have known before then, with Slughorn talking about how brilliant I was at Potions … Shouldn’t have left his old book in the bottom of that cupboard, should he?” “But why didn’t he turn you in?” “I don’t think he wanted to associate himself with that book,” said Hermione “I don’t think Dumbledore would have liked it very much if he’d known And even if Snape pretended it hadn’t been his, Slughorn would have recognized his writing at once Anyway, the book was left in Snape’s old classroom, and I’ll bet Dumbledore knew his mother was called ‘Prince.’ ” “I should’ve shown the book to Dumbledore,” said Harry “All that time he was showing me how Voldemort was evil even when he was at school, and I had proof Snape was too —” “ ‘Evil’ is a strong word,” said Hermione quietly “You were the one who kept telling me the book was dan​gerous!” “I’m trying to say, Harry, that you’re putting too much blame on yourself I thought the Prince seemed to have a nasty sense of hu​mor, but I would never have guessed he was a potential killer …” “None of us could’ve guessed Snape would … you know,” said Ron Silence fell between them, each of them lost in their own thoughts, but Harry was sure that they, like him, were thinking about the following morning, when Dumbledore’s body would be laid to rest He had never attended a funeral before; there had been no body to bury when Sirius had died He did not know what to expect and was a little worried about what he might see, about how he would feel He wondered whether Dumbledore’s death would be more real to him once it was over Though he had moments when the horrible fact of it threatened to overwhelm him, there were blank stretches of numbness where, despite the fact that nobody was talking about anything else in the whole castle, he still found it difficult to believe that Dumbledore had really gone Admittedly he had not, as he had with Sirius, looked desperately for some kind of loophole, some way that Dumbledore would come back … He felt in his pocket for the cold chain of the fake Horcrux, which he now carried with him everywhere, not as a talisman, but as a re​minder of what it had cost and what remained still to Harry rose early to pack the next day; the Hogwarts Express would be leaving an hour after the funeral Downstairs, he found the mood in the Great Hall subdued Everybody was wearing their dress robes and no one seemed very hungry Professor McGonagall had left the thronelike chair in the middle of the staff table empty Hagrid’s chair was deserted too; Harry thought that perhaps he had not been able to face breakfast, but Snape’s place had been unceremoniously filled by Rufus Scrimgeour Harry avoided his yellowish eyes as they scanned the Hall; Harry had the uncomfortable feeling that Scrimgeour was looking for him Among Scrimgeour’s entourage Harry spotted the red hair and horn-rimmed glasses of Percy Weasley Ron gave no sign that he was aware of Percy, apart from stabbing pieces of kipper with unwonted venom Over at the Slytherin table Crabbe and Goyle were muttering together Hulking boys though they were, they looked oddly lonely without the tall, pale figure of Malfoy between them, bossing them around Harry had not spared Malfoy much thought His animosity was all for Snape, but he had not forgotten the fear in Malfoy’s voice on that tower top, nor the fact that he had lowered his wand before the other Death Eaters arrived Harry did not believe that Malfoy would have killed Dumbledore He despised Malfoy still for his infatuation with the Dark Arts, but now the tiniest drop of pity mingled with his dislike Where, Harry wondered, was Malfoy now, and what was Voldemort making him under threat of killing him and his parents? Harry’s thoughts were interrupted by a nudge in the ribs from Ginny Professor McGonagall had risen to her feet, and the mourn​ful hum in the Hall died away at once “It is nearly time,” she said “Please follow your Heads of Houses out into the grounds Gryffindors, after me.” They filed out from behind their benches in near silence Harry glimpsed Slughorn at the head of the Slytherin column, wearing magnificent, long, emerald green robes embroidered with silver He had never seen Professor Sprout, Head of the Hufflepuffs, looking so clean; there was not a single patch on her hat, and when they reached the entrance hall, they found Madam Pince standing beside Filch, she in a thick black veil that fell to her knees, he in an ancient black suit and tie reeking of mothballs They were heading, as Harry saw when he stepped out onto the stone steps from the front doors, toward the lake The warmth of the sun caressed his face as they followed Professor McGonagall in silence to the place where hundreds of chairs had been set out in rows An aisle ran down the center of them: There was a marble table standing at the front, all chairs facing it It was the most beautiful summer’s day An extraordinary assortment of people had already settled into half of the chairs; shabby and smart, old and young Most Harry did not recognize, but a few he did, including members of the Order of the Phoenix: Kingsley Shacklebolt; Mad-Eye Moody; Tonks, her hair miraculously returned to vividest pink; Remus Lupin, with whom she seemed to be holding hands; Mr and Mrs Weasley; Bill supported by Fleur and followed by Fred and George, who were wearing jackets of black dragon skin Then there was Madame Maxime, who took up two and a half chairs on her own; Tom, the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron in London; Arabella Figg, Harry’s Squib neighbor; the hairy bass player from the Wizarding group the Weird Sisters; Ernie Prang, driver of the Knight Bus; Madam Malkin, of the robe shop in Diagon Alley; and some people whom Harry merely knew by sight, such as the barman of the Hog’s Head and the witch who pushed the trolley on the Hogwarts Express The castle ghosts were there too, barely visible in the bright sunlight, discernible only when they moved, shimmering in​substantially on the gleaming air Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny filed into seats at the end of a row beside the lake People were whispering to each other; it sounded like a breeze in the grass, but the birdsong was louder by far The crowd continued to swell; with a great rush of affection for both of them, Harry saw Neville being helped into a seat by Luna Neville and Luna alone of the D.A had responded to Hermione’s summons the night that Dumbledore had died, and Harry knew why: They were the ones who had missed the D.A most … probably the ones who had checked their coins regularly in the hope that there would be another meeting Cornelius Fudge walked past toward the front rows, his expression miserable, twirling his green bowler hat as usual; Harry next recognized Rita Skeeter, who, he was infuriated to see, had a notebook clutched in her red-taloned hand, and then, with a worse jolt of fury, Dolores Umbridge, an unconvincing expression of grief upon her toadlike face, a black velvet bow set atop her iron-colored curls At the sight of the centaur Firenze, who was standing like a sentinel near the water’s edge, she gave a start and scurried hastily into a seat a good distance away The staff was seated at last Harry could see Scrimgeour looking grave and dignified in the front row with Professor McGonagall He wondered whether Scrimgeour or any of these important people were really sorry that Dumbledore was dead But then he heard music, strange, otherworldly music, and he forgot his dislike of the Ministry in looking around for the source of it He was not the only one: Many heads were turning, searching, a little alarmed “In there,” whispered Ginny in Harry’s ear And he saw them in the clear green sunlit water, inches below the surface, reminding him horribly of the Inferi: a chorus of merpeople singing in a strange language he did not understand, their pallid faces rippling, their purplish hair flowing all around them The music made the hair on Harry’s neck stand up, and yet it was not unpleasant It spoke very clearly of loss and of despair As he looked down into the wild faces of the singers, he had the feeling that they, at least, were sorry for Dumbledore’s passing Then Ginny nudged him again and he looked around Hagrid was walking slowly up the aisle between the chairs He was crying quite silently, his face gleaming with tears, and in his arms, wrapped in purple velvet spangled with golden stars, was what Harry knew to be Dumbledore’s body A sharp pain rose in Harry’s throat at this sight: For a moment, the strange music and the knowledge that Dumbledore’s body was so close seemed to take all warmth from the day Ron looked white and shocked Tears were falling thick and fast into both Ginny’s and Hermione’s laps They could not see clearly what was happening at the front Hagrid seemed to have placed the body carefully upon the table Now he retreated down the aisle, blowing his nose with loud trumpeting noises that drew scandalized looks from some, including, Harry saw, Dolores Umbridge … but Harry knew that Dumbledore would not have cared He tried to make a friendly gesture to Hagrid as he passed, but Hagrid’s eyes were so swollen it was a wonder he could see where he was going Harry glanced at the back row to which Hagrid was heading and realized what was guiding him, for there, dressed in a jacket and trousers each the size of a small marquee, was the giant Grawp, his great ugly boulderlike head bowed, docile, almost human Hagrid sat down next to his half-brother, and Grawp patted Hagrid hard on the head, so that his chair legs sank into the ground Harry had a wonderful momentary urge to laugh But then the music stopped, and he turned to face the front again A little tufty-haired man in plain black robes had got to his feet and stood now in front of Dumbledore’s body Harry could not hear what he was saying Odd words floated back to them over the hundreds of heads “Nobility of spirit” … “intellectual contribution” … “greatness of heart” … It did not mean very much It had little to with Dumbledore as Harry had known him He suddenly remembered Dumbledore’s idea of a few words, “nitwit,” “oddment,” “blubber,” and “tweak,” and again had to suppress a grin … What was the matter with him? There was a soft splashing noise to his left and he saw that the merpeople had broken the surface to listen too He remembered Dumbledore crouching at the water’s edge two years ago, very close to where Harry now sat, and conversing in Mermish with the Merchieftainess Harry wondered where Dumbledore had learned Mermish There was so much he had never asked him, so much he should have said … And then, without warning, it swept over him, the dreadful truth, more completely and undeniably than it had until now Dumbledore was dead, gone … He clutched the cold locket in his hand so tightly that it hurt, but he could not prevent hot tears spilling from his eyes: He looked away from Ginny and the others and stared out over the lake, toward the forest, as the little man in black droned on … There was movement among the trees The centaurs had come to pay their respects too They did not move into the open but Harry saw them standing quite still, half hidden in shadow, watching the wizards, their bows hanging at their sides And Harry remembered his first nightmarish trip into the forest, the first time he had ever encountered the thing that was then Voldemort, and how he had faced him, and how he and Dumbledore had discussed fighting a losing battle not long thereafter It was important, Dumbledore said, to fight, and fight again, and keep fighting, for only then could evil be kept at bay, though never quite eradicated … And Harry saw very clearly as he sat there under the hot sun how people who cared about him had stood in front of him one by one, his mother, his father, his godfather, and finally Dumbledore, all determined to protect him; but now that was over He could not let anybody else stand between him and Voldemort; he must abandon forever the illusion he ought to have lost at the age of one, that the shelter of a parent’s arms meant that nothing could hurt him There was no waking from his nightmare, no comforting whisper in the dark that he was safe really, that it was all in his imagination; the last and greatest of his protectors had died, and he was more alone than he had ever been before The little man in black had stopped speaking at last and resumed his seat Harry waited for somebody else to get to their feet; he expected speeches, probably from the Minister, but nobody moved Then several people screamed Bright, white flames had erupted around Dumbledore’s body and the table upon which it lay: Higher and higher they rose, obscuring the body White smoke spiraled into the air and made strange shapes: Harry thought, for one heart-stopping moment, that he saw a phoenix fly joyfully into the blue, but next second the fire had vanished In its place was a white marble tomb, encasing Dumbledore’s body and the table on which he had rested There were a few more cries of shock as a shower of arrows soared through the air, but they fell far short of the crowd It was, Harry knew, the centaurs’ tribute: He saw them turn tail and disappear back into the cool trees Likewise, the merpeople sank slowly back into the green water and were lost from view Harry looked at Ginny, Ron, and Hermione: Ron’s face was screwed up as though the sunlight were blinding him Hermione’s face was glazed with tears, but Ginny was no longer crying She met Harry’s gaze with the same hard, blazing look that he had seen when she had hugged him after winning the Quidditch Cup in his absence, and he knew that at that moment they understood each other perfectly, and that when he told her what he was going to now, she would not say, “Be careful,” or “Don’t it,” but accept his decision, because she would not have expected anything less of him And so he steeled himself to say what he had known he must say ever since Dumbledore had died “Ginny, listen …” he said very quietly, as the buzz of conversation grew louder around them and people began to get to their feet, “I can’t be involved with you anymore We’ve got to stop seeing each other We can’t be together.” She said, with an oddly twisted smile, “It’s for some stupid, no​ble reason, isn’t it?” “It’s been like … like something out of someone else’s life, these last few weeks with you,” said Harry “But I can’t … we can’t … I’ve got things to alone now.” She did not cry, she simply looked at him “Voldemort uses people his enemies are close to He’s already used you as bait once, and that was just because you’re my best friend’s sister Think how much danger you’ll be in if we keep this up He’ll know, he’ll find out He’ll try and get to me through you.” “What if I don’t care?” said Ginny fiercely “I care,” said Harry “How you think I’d feel if this was your funeral … and it was my fault …” She looked away from him, over the lake “I never really gave up on you,” she said “Not really I always hoped … Hermione told me to get on with life, maybe go out with some other people, relax a bit around you, because I never used to be able to talk if you were in the room, remember? And she thought you might take a bit more notice if I was a bit more — myself.” “Smart girl, that Hermione,” said Harry, trying to smile “I just wish I’d asked you sooner We could’ve had ages … months … years maybe …” “But you’ve been too busy saving the Wizarding world,” said Ginny, half laughing “Well … I can’t say I’m surprised I knew this would happen in the end I knew you wouldn’t be happy unless you were hunting Voldemort Maybe that’s why I like you so much.” Harry could not bear to hear these things, nor did he think his resolution would hold if he remained sitting beside her Ron, he saw, was now holding Hermione and stroking her hair while she sobbed into his shoulder, tears dripping from the end of his own long nose With a miserable gesture, Harry got up, turned his back on Ginny and on Dumbledore’s tomb, and walked away around the lake Moving felt much more bearable than sitting still, just as setting out as soon as possible to track down the Horcruxes and kill Voldemort would feel better than waiting to it … “Harry!” He turned Rufus Scrimgeour was limping rapidly toward him around the bank, leaning on his walking stick “I’ve been hoping to have a word … you mind if I walk a lit​tle way with you?” “No,” said Harry indifferently, and set off again “Harry, this was a dreadful tragedy,” said Scrimgeour quietly “I cannot tell you how appalled I was to hear of it Dumbledore was a very great wizard We had our disagreements, as you know, but no one knows better than I —” “What you want?” asked Harry flatly Scrimgeour looked annoyed, but as before, hastily modified his expression to one of sorrowful understanding “You are, of course, devastated,” he said “I know that you were very close to Dumbledore I think you may have been his favorite pupil ever The bond between the two of you —” “What you want?” Harry repeated, coming to a halt Scrimgeour stopped too, leaned on his stick, and stared at Harry, his expression shrewd now “The word is that you were with him when he left the school the night that he died.” “Whose word?” said Harry “Somebody Stupefied a Death Eater on top of the tower after Dumbledore died There were also two broomsticks up there The Ministry can add two and two, Harry.” “Glad to hear it,” said Harry “Well, where I went with Dumbledore and what we did is my business He didn’t want people to know.” “Such loyalty is admirable, of course,” said Scrimgeour, who seemed to be restraining his irritation with difficulty, “but Dum​bledore is gone, Harry He’s gone.” “He will only be gone from the school when none here are loyal to him,” said Harry, smiling in spite of himself “My dear boy … even Dumbledore cannot return from the —” “I am not saying he can You wouldn’t understand But I’ve got nothing to tell you.” Scrimgeour hesitated, then said, in what was evidently supposed to be a tone of delicacy, “The Ministry can offer you all sorts of protection, you know, Harry I would be delighted to place a cou​ple of my Aurors at your service —” Harry laughed “Voldemort wants to kill me himself, and Aurors won’t stop him So thanks for the offer, but no thanks.” “So,” said Scrimgeour, his voice cold now, “the request I made of you at Christmas —” “What request? Oh yeah … the one where I tell the world what a great job you’re doing in exchange for —” “— for raising everyone’s morale!” snapped Scrimgeour Harry considered him for a moment “Released Stan Shunpike yet?” Scrimgeour turned a nasty purple color highly reminiscent of Uncle Vernon “I see you are —” “Dumbledore’s man through and through,” said Harry “That’s right.” Scrimgeour glared at him for another moment, then turned and limped away without another word Harry could see Percy and the rest of the Ministry delegation waiting for him, casting nervous glances at the sobbing Hagrid and Grawp, who were still in their seats Ron and Hermione were hurrying toward Harry, passing Scrimgeour going in the opposite direction Harry turned and walked slowly on, waiting for them to catch up, which they finally did in the shade of a beech tree under which they had sat in hap​pier times “What did Scrimgeour want?” Hermione whispered “Same as he wanted at Christmas,” shrugged Harry “Wanted me to give him inside information on Dumbledore and be the Ministry’s new poster boy.” Ron seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, then he said loudly to Hermione, “Look, let me go back and hit Percy!” “No,” she said firmly, grabbing his arm “It’ll make me feel better!” Harry laughed Even Hermione grinned a little, though her smile faded as she looked up at the castle “I can’t bear the idea that we might never come back,” she said softly “How can Hogwarts close?” “Maybe it won’t,” said Ron “We’re not in any more danger here than we are at home, are we? Everywhere’s the same now I’d even say Hogwarts is safer, there are more wizards inside to defend the place What d’you reckon, Harry?” “I’m not coming back even if it does reopen,” said Harry Ron gaped at him, but Hermione said sadly, “I knew you were going to say that But then what will you do?” “I’m going back to the Dursleys’ once more, because Dumbledore wanted me to,” said Harry “But it’ll be a short visit, and then I’ll be gone for good.” “But where will you go if you don’t come back to school?” “I thought I might go back to Godric’s Hollow,” Harry muttered He had had the idea in his head ever since the night of Dumbledore’s death “For me, it started there, all of it I’ve just got a feeling I need to go there And I can visit my parents’ graves, I’d like that.” “And then what?” said Ron “Then I’ve got to track down the rest of the Horcruxes, haven’t I?” said Harry, his eyes upon Dumbledore’s white tomb, reflected in the water on the other side of the lake “That’s what he wanted me to do, that’s why he told me all about them If Dumbledore was right — and I’m sure he was — there are still four of them out there I’ve got to find them and destroy them, and then I’ve got to go after the seventh bit of Voldemort’s soul, the bit that’s still in his body, and I’m the one who’s going to kill him And if I meet Severus Snape along the way,” he added, “so much the better for me, so much the worse for him.” There was a long silence The crowd had almost dispersed now, the stragglers giving the monumental figure of Grawp a wide berth as he cuddled Hagrid, whose howls of grief were still echoing across the water “We’ll be there, Harry,” said Ron “What?” “At your aunt and uncle’s house,” said Ron “And then we’ll go with you wherever you’re going.” “No —” said Harry quickly; he had not counted on this, he had meant them to understand that he was undertaking this most dan​gerous journey alone “You said to us once before,” said Hermione quietly, “that there was time to turn back if we wanted to We’ve had time, haven’t we? “We’re with you whatever happens,” said Ron “But mate, you’re going to have to come round my mum and dad’s house before we anything else, even Godric’s Hollow.” “Why?” “Bill and Fleur’s wedding, remember?” Harry looked at him, startled; the idea that anything as normal as a wedding could still exist seemed incredible and yet wonderful “Yeah, we shouldn’t miss that,” he said finally His hand closed automatically around the fake Horcrux, but in spite of everything, in spite of the dark and twisting path he saw stretching ahead for himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month, in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione ... Seer Overheard TWENTY-SIX - The Cave TWENTY-SEVEN - The Lightning Struck Tower TWENTY-EIGHT - Flight of the Prince TWENTY-NINE - The Phoenix Lament THIRTY - The White Tomb The Other Minister It was... NINETEEN - Elf Tails TWENTY - Lord Voldemort's Request TWENTY-ONE - The Unknowable Room TWENTY-TWO - After the Burial TWENTY-THREE - Horcruxes TWENTY-FOUR - Sectumsempra TWENTY-FIVE - The Seer... FIVE - An Excess of Phlegm SIX - Draco's Detour SEVEN - The Slug Club EIGHT - Snape Victorious NINE - The Half-Blood Prince TEN - The House of Gaunt ELEVEN - Hermione's Helping Hand TWELVE - Silver